AeroVironment successfully flies hydrogen-fueled Global Observer UAV
by: Ecofriend, 2011-01-14 11:31:43 UTC
Eco Factor: Eco-friendly UAV powered by a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine.
AeroVironment has announced that the company’s Global Observer UAV has successfully completed its maiden flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle is powered by an eco-friendly hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine. The UAV has a wingspan of 175 feet and can stay aloft for up to a week at a time.
The maiden flight was conducted at lower altitudes above Edwards Air Force Base in California and lasted four hours. The company does state that the UAV can fly at 65,000 feet, which makes it an observation platform and communications link over a very wide area about 600 miles in diameter. The developers believe that continuous coverage over any part of the earth’s surface can be provided by combining a pair of Global Observers.
The UAV is powered by a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system that drives a generator to power four propellers as well as batteries and operational payloads. The UAV has been designed for military purposes, but since it is able to provide a continuous coverage over a wide area, it can also operate as a satellite that is positioned at a lower altitude and at a fraction of the cost.
Via: Autopia
Blocks House: Because Slums Need Prefab Modular Homes Too
by: Inhabitat , 2011-01-14 18:00:05 UTC
Here’s a concept Prince Charles may want to look into for his new eco slum community – Blocks House, a modular and prefabricated housing system designed especially for impoverished areas. With over 1 billion people living in slums around the world, modular and inexpensive housing materials are one appealing way to help provide more adequate homes than the often decrepit existing structures. Indian designer Altamash Jiwani came up with the prefab housing concept as a way to help combat the housing inequity in slums.
Read the rest of Blocks House: Because Slums Need Prefab Modular Homes Toohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: altamash jiwani, blocks house, eco design, green design, humanitarian design, LA eco designers, modular housing, modular panels, plastic panels, Prefab, Prefab Housing, prefabricated, slum housing
Sun-Tracker Skylights Pump Daylight Indoors
by: Inhabitat , 2011-01-14 20:18:13 UTC
Daylighting is now considered one of the cornerstones of sustainable building, but it has been a challenge to implement it in large buildings — especially retrofits. Sun Tracker skylights are an intriguing solution that can introduce daylight into the huge offices, retail box stores, and warehouses that line our cities. The skylight works by tracking the sun with a set of mirrors that redirect light into the interior. The design significantly reduces the need for artificial lighting and heat compared to traditional skylights and creates a much happier work environment. Read on to see how they work.
Read the rest of Sun-Tracker Skylights Pump Daylight Indoorshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: benefits of daylight, ciralight global, daylighting buildings, daylighting technologies, green lighting, greenbuild 2007, skylights, skylite, sun tracking, suntracker
China readies 10 million EV parking spots by 2020: executive
by: Reuters: Green Business News, 2011-01-13 20:25:10 UTC
DETROIT (Reuters) - The Chinese government is said to be looking to prepare at least 10 million car parking spots for electric vehicles by 2020 in a new comprehensive policy due to be announced soon,...
mathieu lehanneur + david edwards: pumpkin
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-01-11 11:59:00 UTC
modeled after a biological cell, the container transports water in large or small volumes, expanding as necessary and filtering it if desired.
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Megatex’s new LED screen features a built-in solar panel
by: Ecofriend, 2011-01-13 11:54:37 UTC
Eco Factor: Solar-powered LED display for outdoor applications.
Bulgarian LED product manufacturer Megatex has developed the world’s first LED display that features a built-in solar panel. The firm combined two breakthrough technologies to develop the product, which has been designed for outdoor applications. The screen features a 5KW solar panel that will power the electronic equipment of the screen.
The innovative screen can be installed on stadiums, concerts or even used as a self-powered billboard. Since the screen is powered entirely by solar energy, it can be installed in areas with no or limited access to electricity such as highways.
Via: OpenPR
Beautiful Planets by Béatrix Li-Chin Loos at Galerie Gosserez
by: Dezeen, 2011-01-13 15:50:34 UTC
German-Taiwanese designer Béatrix Li-Chin Loos has created this series of spherical vases from layers of scrap wood, glass, cardboard and leather. (more…)
Collapsable Table, Great Drawers
by: Yanko Design, 2011-01-12 08:03:39 UTC
Take a peek at this, it’s called KanapËtko, and it’s no less than a convertible desk on wheels. It’s made for artists, designers, and all manner of creative people. It can close all the way up to take up little space when not in use, and folds out to be a comfortable working place, equipped with “all the things that a designer might need. The desk has three drawers on the main side, a drawer for a printer or scanner on the back side.
There’s a lighting floor, extendible cable, and stereo speaker to connect iPods or other kinds of music players. Great running action on the drawers with a Servo-Drive system that works with or without the handles – this electrical operating system was designed by DImitrov with BLUM in collaboration. Plus, Blumotion technology provides silent and effortless closing of the drawers. Wacky smooth.
Designer: Krassi DImitrov
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Pretty Little Battery Bike of Wood
by: Yanko Design, 2011-01-12 08:03:36 UTC
Check the heck out this little bike that runs on batteries. Not only is it aesthetically MORE than pleasing, it’s made out of a bunch of wood (and a bit of metal and plastic of course) and runs on tiny batteries you can carry around with you in your pocket! This is the Biona and it’s designed by Jordi Poblet Pedrol, a fellow who wants to replace gasoline entirely in our urban vehicles. This project attempts to give the world a brand new perception of what an electric motorcycle is.
This design uses traditional yet greener versions of parts used on classic motorcycles, “never forgetting new technologies and new tendencies.” Look like something you’d ride to futball practice? Pedrol leaves us with this thought:
Do we really need those big plastic parts? Do we really need so much weight? Do we really need the same design for motorcycles?
The “biona” project tries to answer these questions, building only another perspective of what a motorbike should look like.
Designer: Jordi Poblet Pedrol
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Cookie Spoon Delight!
by: Yanko Design, 2011-01-12 09:07:28 UTC
Instead of wasteful plastic and wooden stirrers, why not use an ecookie? Dense enough to keep a satisfying crunch when stirring yet scrumptiously delicious as that extra little treat.
Designer: Victor Lopes Mascarenhas & Rodrigo Maia
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